A woman has had her AFL membership revoked for at least a year after footage emerged of her throwing a banana at Indigenous AFL star Eddie Betts.
The video – which now has almost half a million views – shows a woman in a Port Adelaide scarf giving the finger to Betts after the player kicked his fifth goal of the match, before throwing a banana at the player. Fans can be seen pointing at the banana and at the woman who threw it.
Port Adelaide's chairman, David Koch, said on Twitter that the fan had been identified but had not been spoken to by the club.
The unidentified woman has been banned by the club for one year, and if the incident is found to be racially motivated she will be banned for life.
No. 1 year is next year. If racially motivated will be life. Also seeking evidence from surrounding spectators https://t.co/ZfDSGIpRtf
Port Adelaide has apologised to the Adelaide Crows (who won the match 109-94) and Eddie Betts personally.
Of course I have, to both Eddie and Rob Chapman. I sought Eddie's approval for everything we're doing. https://t.co/3cN6oEgEj4
South Australian premier Jay Weatherill condemned the act, calling it a "particularly nasty form of racist comment".
"As for the idiot who thought throwing a banana was funny, it wasn't," he said.
"I am pleased the club has taken strong an immediate action."
The Adelaide Crows issued a statement last night saying they were "disappointed and disgusted" with the fan's behaviour.
The Club has released a statement about crowd behaviour at the Showdown https://t.co/GGcT6ZEEay
The banana-throwing incident will be intensely investigated by the AFL, no stranger to dealing with racism. Most notably, 2014 Australian of the Year and Sydney Swans great Adam Goodes was routinely booed and taunted with racial slurs by rival fans in the final years of his career. In May, the AFL held a press conference announcing that it had failed the Indigenous superstar by not dealing with the fan behaviour.
People have condemned the Port Adelaide fan for her actions, as well as the AFL for struggling to properly control racist behaviour.
Throwing a banana in the @AFL at an Aboriginal player disgusting. Racism is very rife in Australia. # wakeup Australia #kickoutrasicm
AFL fans need to appreciate the risk of mid-match player walk-offs, which is how Euro clubs have dealt with banana-throwing
Taking bets now on which columnist will choose to die on the hill of defending the banana thrower.
The @AFL has to ban the banana thrower for life. No discussion.
Watch as the same comment thread hacks who were shook by an invisible spear insist a real banana wasn't malicious. Our culture has issues.